Description of the Prior Art
In my copending application, Ser. No. 775,253, filed Mar. 7, 1977, now abandoned, I have disclosed a safe system for utilizing outside air for combustion in home heating plants. There are significant advantages in utilizing cold outside air to feed the flame during the heating season. Most present home heating plants draw air for combustion from inside the home, thus expelling heated air up the chimney stack, thereby creating a slight negative pressure within the home, with resultant drafts of cold, dry air which seep into the home under doors, around window casings, etc., to replace the lost warm air. My previously discussed invention provides means for supplying air exclusively from outside the home for combustion, while at the same time insuring that, if, for any reason, the outside air supply should fail, or become insufficient, the burner can draw air from inside the home in order to avoid suffocation of its flame. Suffocation of the flame, resulting in either incomplete fuel combustion, or total extinguishment of the flame, is especially dangerous in the case of furnaces utilizing natural gas as fuel (as opposed to fuel oil). Incomplete combustion of the gas results in the production of noxious carbon monoxide gas; total extinguishment of the flame could result in the introduction of a large quantity of the explosive fuel into a confined area of the home.
A gas burning home furnace system has not heretofore been known, which provides for the use of outside air for combustion, and includes safety provisions to insure complete combustion of the fuel and to eliminate the danger of extinguishment of the flame.